A Queens lawmaker is backing legislation that would give billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen the legal right to move forward with a planned $8 billion casino complex next to Citi Field – but there’s no guarantee the controversial plan will move forward.
State Sen. John Liu introduced a bill Sunday proposing to redesignate the parking lots around the Queens baseball stadium from parkland to commercial use, which would allow the application for Cohen’s ambitious Metropolitan Park casino proposal to move forward.
“Because the parking lot is legally parkland, they require state legislation that would allow a gaming facility to be built on that parkland in order to proceed with their application to the state gaming,” Liu explained at the bill introduction.
The billionaire is piggybacking his application on the Flushing Skypark project — which proposes to build a Manhattan High Line-inspired pedestrian and bike bridge connecting downtown Flushing to Citi Field’s home on Willets Point – by offering to provide $100 million for that project.
“The Skypark project would be a series of interactive areas that form a bridge and transform a simple crossing into vibrant hubs that serve as flexible public spaces for community gatherings, events, rest and social interactions,” said Liu, whose district covers Flushing and only a portion of the proposed casino site by Citi Field on Willets point.
And even if the Skypark falls apart – Liu characterized it as “a tough project from financing to regulatory approvals” — Cohen has agreed to stay on the hook for $100 million in community improvements.
But all of that remains contingent on the baseball mogul – who paid $765 million to sign outfielder Juan Soto to the Mets last year – winning the casino license from the state.
